Tongue switch



l. K. DIXON April 12, A 1932.

TONGUE SWITCH Filed Sept. 16, 1931 l lNvEN'ro /QHEL/AXO/w BY H IS ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 12;, 1932 UNITED STATES ISRAEL K. DIXON, OF JOHNSTOWN,'PENNSYLVANIA TONG'UE SWITCH Application filed September 16, 1931.Serial No. 563,167.

This invention relates to railway switches and more particularly torailway switches of the movable tongue type wherein means are providedto yieldingly retain the free end of the tongue in contact with the railportion of a supporting base.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide an improvedtype of means to yieldingly retain the end of the switch tongue incontact with the rail portion of the sup porting base.

Another object is to provide an improved means to protect the heel ofthe movable tongue switch from car wheels passing there- Another objectof the present invention `is to provide an improved railway switchstructure of the movable tongue type.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the invention ismore fully disclosed.

In accordance with the objects of this invention, I have devised animproved railway switch of the movable tongue types in which a noveltype of switch tongue end retaining means and switch tongue heelprotecting means is employed all as is more fully disclosed in theaccompanying drawings; wherein- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a movabletongue switch incorporating the improve* ments of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same partly broken away throughthe switch heel;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through plane 3-3, Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional vview through plane 4-4, Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through plane 5 5, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, the railway tongue switch of Fig. 1 comprisesa switch base 1 carrying two converging rails 2 andl 3 and a movabletongue 4 adapted to be positioned so as to divert railway car wheels 5to either rail (2 or 3) in a manner heretofore practiced. Means 5 isprovided to yieldingly retain the free end of Vthe movable tongue in apredetermined fixed operating position; and means 6 is provided todivertor to carry railway car wheels 5 over' the switch tongue heel withoutycontacting therewith. "i Means 7 to pivotally retain" the `movable 1tongue f4* in position in the switch' base -is .also provided.

i The yieldingly retaining f means '-5 ofg'the "555 present invention isillustrated'in 'enlarged 'detail in Fig. 4 and comprises essentiallyrapivoted lever 'arm 8 adapted to be-'engaged at one end by spring tensionmeans@ 13 joperatingltofbring'theother -endlther'eo'f into en- 500gagement 'withV the switch tongue end'insuch manner astoeyieldinglyretain the tongue end'vin a desired operating posit-ion.vVV-hen the l tongue end is displaced ktherefrom .i the spring tensionmeans operates on the pivoted W5 lever arm to return `the yton-"gue to?the desired fixed position.

` In theV specific Y embodiment illustrated in enlargedv detailV inFig-4, the pivotedf lever Y armislocated withinthe switchbase` 4l'be-"'70 low the switc-hf tongue4 and' is j comprised" of two angularlydisposed sections 8vafndf12-'and is `adaptedto be pivotedfat'the apexAofthe angle by laterally 'extending pins llyada'pted toviit-infrecessesin 'Seat 10-integrali5with 75 base 1. Leverarm 12 isprovided with a Spinseat l 16 r"for spring 13l and@ base l" isa'l'somprovidedwith meanssuch-aspingseat 17 "tolocate the opposite endf'of the spring 13.

. lzInthe arrangement shown in"Fi'g.14,-fwhen 80 thelever arm Vand'spring are assembled, spring 1'3 isunder#slightfcompression 'and isexerting a pressure through the j pivoted ,lever arms 12 and-8 uponswitch-tongue-4.

A llateral *movement of the switch tonguef'4 35 still further*compresses the spring L13 .and

upon the removal of Lthe'displacing 'l force the spring compressionVreturns the tongue 4 to the'desired fixed position. 'y Y The tongueheel protecting means-Spf the 90 present invention 'comprises a angebearing 6 forming an `integral part of the switch base structure 1 whichis adapted to lift the Y car wheel over the tongue heel 14 in a manneras is shown in Figs. 3 and 5. In Fig. 3 the 95 car wheel 5 shown insegmented dotted line is traversing the switch and is riding in nor# malposition upon the rail. In 5 in solid lines the wheel is shown with thewheel iiange 15 `engaging the flange bearing 6 in passing over theswitch heel. In Fig. 5 a sectional view of the same taken along plane 55, F ig. l is shown, illustrating how the tread of the car wheel 5 isheld above the tongue heel by the engagement of the wheel flange l5 withflange bearing 6.

From the above description taken with the drawings it is believedapparent that the improved movable tongue switch includin 0' theimproved tongue end retaining means and tongue heel protecting means ofthe present invention may be modified in many details without departingessentially from the nature and scope thereof as may be lset forth inthe following claims.

l That I claim is:

l. In a tongue switch including a switch base, a movable switch tongueand means to yieldingly retain the switch tongue end in a predetermineddesired operating position in said base, said means comprising a pivotedlever arm, pivotal means integral with the switch base to pivot the arm,and spring tension means operating against one end of the pivoted arm tobring the opposite end thereof in engagement with the movable switchtongue end in its fixed operating position and adapted to'resistdisplacement of said switch tongue from its fixed operating position,without interfering with the normal passing of car wheel traliic throughthe switch.

2. In a tongue switch the combination of a: switch body castingincluding xed rails, a tongue between said rails having a pivot enteringa recess in the body and permitting the ready introduction of the tongueinto position or the lifting of it out of position and means below thetop of the tongue at a point forward of the heel for holding the tonguedown on the body, said body casting including a portion adjacent to theheel of the tongue and adapted to form a bearing for the flange of thecar wheel and to hold the tread of the carwheelv above the heelportionoil the tongue, the body casting having a flange bearing portionin line with said wheel flange bearing extending from heel of tonguetowards tip of the tongue so that a wheel entering at the tip of thetongue will bear on the tongue until 'it is nearly yat the heel thereofand will be carried on the fixed bearing and will be lifted above thetongue as it passes over the heel thereof.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

- ISRAEL K. DIXON.

